COLLABORATIVE ERP TRANSFORMATION FOR A GLOBAL MANUFACTURER

The challenges of growth

A series of acquisitions helped a major global manufacturer grow tremendously, but this growth came with both positive and negative aspects. In particular, a range of geographically-based IT systems meant efforts were being duplicated, multiple versions of similar processes cropped up, and collaboration was now required between more than 30,000 employees.

Instead of responding to these challenges as distinct issues, the company chose a more holistic approach: To create a single, consolidated SAP-based ERP system. With this goal in mind, they set out on a multi-year journey to rationalize and standardize processes for migration.

A collaborative response

Rather than simply relying on the knowledge of a few experts, the manufacturer wanted a solution that would harness the wisdom of the crowd, to make fact-based decisions, then use that data to engage stakeholders in meaningful discussions. They turned to Signavio for help as they knew of Signavio’s significant experience in engaging large numbers of employees in business transformation projects.

Signavio Process Intelligence was the perfect tool to generate insights from the company’s existing process data, then use as the basis for stakeholder conversations. Signavio’s ability to deliver results quickly also meant these conversations could get started in short order.

Also vital was finding a process mining solution that worked across multiple systems, as many of the systems intended for replacement were homegrown. The integration of Signavio Process Intelligence with Signavio Process Manager meant they were able to combine process models with underlying data and thus build a more complete picture than with other solutions.

The manufacturer could compare what was implemented with how it was working, as well as with design models. This was a major improvement over past reporting on “as-designed” processes, and it gave them additional insight into risk and compliance issues.

Ongoing benefits

A year into the project, the company have already discovered many amazing, actionable insights, creating cost benefits earlier than expected. Their findings even led them to reassess some of their initial goals and objectives. For example, as the organization sought to improve and reduce the cost of reporting, they also realized that reducing the number of systems in use would significantly lower IT costs.

Rolling out a more collaborative way of working changed stakeholder involvement from passive to active, resulting in positive feedback and decreased resistance to change. Perhaps most importantly, management are pleased that benefits are being realized on a regular basis, no longer needing to wait until project completion before having significant business impact.